740.5/2–1952
Communiqué Issued by the Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France and the Chancellor of the German Federal Republic1
The Foreign Ministers of the United States, France and the United Kingdom, and the Chancellor of the German Federal Republic, met for discussions in the Foreign Office on 18th and 19th February. They reviewed the position reached in the parallel negotiations in Paris and in Bonn, now approaching a successful conclusion, for the establishment of the European Defence Community and for the creation of a new relationship between the three Western Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany, based on a series of freely negotiated Conventions.
The Foreign Ministers and the Chancellor are well pleased with the results of their work. They reached agreement on outstanding issues arising from the negotiations in Bonn. The question of Germany’s financial contribution to European defence is dealt with below. On the difficult problem concerning the future regulation and distribution in the interests of Western defence of arms production in states of the European Defence Community they have reached certain conclusions and provided for a series of meetings which they are confident will produce speedy results. They reached agreement on methods for dealing with the question of war criminals now detained in the Federal Republic.
They reviewed the report made by the Executive Bureau of the Temporary Council Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, on the financial contribution of the Federal Republic to Western defence. The Ministers agreed that this report, which reached them on 16th February, should be published tonight. There is every prospect that an agreed decision on the total financial contribution of the Federal Republic to defence will be reached by the end of the current week. Negotiations on other matters arising out of this report, including the distribution of the Federal Republic’s contribution, will proceed at once in Bonn between representatives of the German Federal Republic and of the Three Powers.
The Four Ministers welcome the progress made towards the conclusion of the Treaty for the establishment of the European Defence Community which will provide a solid foundation for the agreements to be concluded between the three Western Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany. This Treaty and the agreements will constitute a single structure designed to bring about the association of the Federal [Page 107] Republic with the free world and to solidify the defence of Western Europe. The Four Ministers discussed the relationship between the European Defence Community and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and agreed on certain recommendations which will be made by the Three Foreign Ministers to the North Atlantic Council for settling this question. It will be the concern of the Four Governments, together with the other interested Governments, to ensure the preservation and the progressive strengthening of the European Defence Community which, as a part of the wider Atlantic community, creates a partnership for-peace.
The Four Ministers are agreed that continuing efforts should be made to accomplish the unification of Germany through democratic and peaceful means.
The Four Ministers are convinced that their meeting has removed the obstacles which have hitherto delayed the conclusions of the negotiations, and has thus marked a decisive advance in the cause of peace.